Liquid gauge



May 6, 1941.

M; P. Russo LIQUID GAUGE Filed NOV. 50, 1938 Patented May 6, 1941 UNTED STATES arnese r orrica 2 Claims.

This invention relates to liquid gauges, and more particularly to a gauge designed to be used with a liquid-containing tank, the gauge being so constructed that it may be readily secured to a cap or collar threaded into a bushing or neck member secured t the tank. The gauge structure is comprised in a unitary mechanism so that `it may be assembled and adjusted at the factory,

and thereafter inserted into the tank and secured to the bushing and designed to give a correct registration of the amount of` liquid which the tank contains.

The gauge herein shown is one of the float type in that it is provided with a pivoted or swinging arm carrying a float on its outer end, which float rises and falls with the level of the liquid Within the tank. The rising and falling of the float operates a vertical rod pivoted to the swinging arm, which vertical rod terminates in an indicator in a glass tube above the tank, and the rising or falling of this indicator within the tube is read upon a scale adjacent the tube, which scale may read in either gallons or fractions of capacity, or both.

One object of the present invention is to provide a gauge of this character of very simple construction, so that it may be economically manufactured, and which at the same time will be reliable and accurate in its indications of the amount of liquid in the tank.

Another object of the invention is the improvementof the scale and associated parts of the gauge, which are disposed above the tank in an exposed position. This part of the gauge includes as one element a transparent tube, usually made of glassand the scale member adjacent the tube is so constructed that the tube will be partially surrounded or embraced thereby so as to receive protection therefrom.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a liquid gauge of the character described having a scale member and a transparent tube above the tank, whereby the tube and scale member may be readily and conveniently assembled securely together, and the tube may also be readily detached and cleaned or replaced by a new one when necessity requires.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a front elevational View of a liquid gauge embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the upper portion of the gauge on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Cil

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figgl is a bottom plan view of the upper portion of the gauge, the stem being shown in section;

Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the method of securing the iloat and vertical rod to the stem; and

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 but showing the parts in another position.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown a fragmentary portion I!! of a tank designed to contain liquid, the tank being provided with an opening I I in its upper side, which opening is surrounded by an internallythreaded neck I2. To the neck is designed to be secured a cap I3, this cap having a depending externally-threaded hollow bushing or collar i4 designed to fit the internal threads of the neck I2 so as to secure the cap in place.

The gauge structure is designed to be secured to the cap I3, and the part of the gauge which lies within the tank may be inserted therein through the bushing I4 after the cap I3 has been secured to the neck I2. For this purpose the gauge is provided with a base member I5 consisting of a relatively flat plate which may be of the same general dimensions as the cap I3, and which is provided with openings or notches I6 through which may be passed screws II received in the cap I3 to secure the gauge thereto. Between the base plate I5 and the cap I3 may be placed a gasket or washer I8, so as to make an air-tight joint.

The base plate and associated parts are shown in section in Fig. 2, from which it will be noted that on its upper surface the base plate is provided with a shallow socket I9 to receive theV lower end of the transparent tube 20, the lower edge of which may rest upon a gasket or washer ZI to make an air-tight joint at this point.

Upstanding from the base I5 is a scale plate 22, which scale plate is secured to the base member I5 and preferably is cast integrally therewith. This scale plate is provided with a central elongated opening or slot 23, designed to accommodate the tube 20, the slot communicating at its lower end with the socket I9. Upon each side of this slot are provided laterally projecting iianges 24, which project from the faces of the scale plate in both directions and on both sides of the tube 26, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to partially embrace this tube and protect it against injury, while leaving it exposed at the front and back, so that the position of the indicator within the tube, which will be referred to hereinafter, may be correctly read.

The slot 2'3 is closed at its upper end, and the edge of the scale plate at this point is relatively sharp, as shown at 25, this sharp edge projecting downwardly to face the upper portion of the transparent tube. The tube is closed at its upper end by a cap 26, the upper ange of which overlies the edge of the tube and rests upon a washer 21, and the body portion 28 of the cap lying within the tube, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and provided withY an internally threaded opening to receive a threaded screw 29. As will be seen from this gure, the notch in the upper end of the screw is designed to receive the sharp edge at the upper end of the slot Z3 so as to hold this screw against rotation.

Before the tube has been placed within the socket i9 and within the slot in the scale plate 22, the cap 26 is slipped on the upper end of the tube, with the screw 29 retracted into the body portion of the cap. The tube may then be put into place.

. The cap may then be slightly raised, the fingers grasping the upper flange portion thereof until the sharp edge 25 is received in the slot in the screw. The cap 2S may then be rotated in the proper direction to cause the screw to back oi from the cap and rise with respect thereto toward the upper portion of the scale plate. This operation is continued until the parts t tightly together, the screwrforcing the cap down tightly Vupon the washer 21 upon the upper end of the tube. Detachment of the parts can readily be effected by a reverse rotation of the cap, until sufficient clearance is present to permit the tube and cap to be withdrawn laterally from the slot 23 at the top, and then removed from the socket In Fig. 4 of the drawing the under side of the base plate i5 is shown, from which it will be observed that'there is formed integrally with the plate l5 Ya depending lug 3d substantially channel-,shaped in cross section. Within this channel is snugly received an elongated stem 3| which projects into the tank and carries the float and associated mechanism. Pivoted at 32 to the lower end of this stern (Fig. 1) is a lever Y33 to which is secured ia float rodS carrying a oat 35 upon the free end thereof. The lever 33 is provided with a projecting bossll at the central portion thereof, the boss and lever being provided with an opening in which is looselyreceived the lower bent end of a substantially vertically extending indicator rod 31.

The indicator rod 3l projects upwardly through the hollow Ybushing of the cap i3 and through an opening 38 inthe plate l5, so that its upper end is received within the transparent tube 2|), as

g shown in Figs.V land 2. A button or similar inshown in Fig. 1, the indicia is so arranged as to read in gallons upon one side of the scale, as shown at 4E, and in fractions of capacity on the other side of the scale, as shown at 4I.

The threaded connection ofthe indicator button 3Q with the rod 31 provides for adjustment of the indicator for individual tanks, so that it may be corrected for the base reading thereof. Attention may also be called to the fact that the boss 38, as shown, for example, in Figs. 5 and 6, projects outwardly from the lever 33 on the same ide thereof as the stem 3l, so that this button will contact with the stem when the float rod 34 approaches a vertical position to serve as a stop for the lever and this rod. In full lines in Fig. 6 this boss is shown as lying against the stern 3i when the float is in its uppermost position corresponding to a full condition of the tank. In the hsame ngure in dotted lines the boss 36 is shown contacting the stem 3i when the iioat is at its lowerrnost position, as it will be when the tank is empty.

It will be apparent from the above that the gauge herein shown is of very simple construction, but at the same time is reliable and efficient, and it may be readily assembled and secured to the tank to make an air-tight connection therewith. It will also be noted that the transparent tube 29, which is usually made of glass, is well protected from injury, while at the same time the wall thereof is exposed at the front and back to permit the reading of the position of the indicator button 39.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within thD spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A liquid gauge comprising a cap designed to be secured to a tank or the like, a base plate adapted to be detachably secured to the cap, a scale member upstanding from the base plate,

, said member being provided with an elongated v opening, a transparent tube disposed within said opening and resting on the base plate, a cover closing the upper end of the tube, a screw threaded in the top of the cover, and means on the upstanding scale member to non-rotatably engage said screw whereby rotation of the cover will effect tight engagement of the parts.

2. A liquid gauge comprising a cap designed to be secured to a'tank or the like, a base plate adapted to be detachably secured to the cap, a scale member upstanding from the base plate, said member being provided with an elongated opening, a transparent tube disposed within said opening and resting on the base plate, a cover closing the upper end of the tube, a screw threaded in the top of the cover, said opening being closed at its top, and the downwardly-facing upper edge of said opening being non-rotatably engaged with said screw to hold it against rotation whereby rotation of the cover will eiect tight engagement of the parts.

MICHAEL P. RUSSO. 

